Ste's Rants And Thoughts.: Sexual Orientation And Discrimination

Ste's Rants And Thoughts.

Sunday, 27 April 2008

Sexual Orientation And Discrimination

Sexual Orientation And Discrimination

The topic of sexual orientation is a fragile topic to discuss as well as awkward, and as such it is rarely discussed in logical conversation. It is usually only brought up for use in jokes, insults or other indirect methods of communication. In this essay I will discuss sexuality and discrimination from a historical, psychological, and sociological point of view. I will explore the causes of discrimination and the psychological effects of both victims and the discriminator.
First we must ask what is sexual orientation? According to the dictionary definition: “nature of sexual preference: the direction of somebody's sexual desire, towards people of the opposite sex, people of the same sex, or people of both sexes” Of course there are also other sexual preferences such as not being attracted to either sex (Asexual), being attracted to people regardless of sex or aesthetic and being attracted to transgender people. As well as Paraphilia (sexual attraction to nonhuman, inanimate objects).
Humans and animals are known to engage in homosexual behaviour, and through the openness of the internet it has become more known. Biologically every human is bisexual or bi curious in some way. Developing sexuality is done by trend, which leans towards heterosexuality, however it is possible to reject this trend at any stage during a life time. Most men and women admit to have at least considered they may be bisexual at some point. Those who have not are in my opinion liars, I think it is human nature and only psychological pressure of the considered norm can blind they mind of this.
I briefly want to historically examine sexual orientation. Homosexuality has been a feature of life since the earliest history. In the past homosexuality was seen as wrong, unholy or unnatural. Almost all of this stems from one place, God. Religion has in each holy book strict advice about homosexuality. Religion is the biggest blockage in embracing different sexualities except the infrequency of discussion. Extremist religious groups are often amongst the worst critics of alternative sexuality.
Amongst religious people there is a huge divide there are those who accept gays (moderates) and those who don’t (extremists). For those who believe the bible is the infallible word of god take on gods opinion of gays as being unacceptable, this is true of the worlds most popular religions. There are extremist religious people who bare banners with hateful slogans such as “god hates fags” “fags burn in hell” “thank god for aids” and other horrific messages. And there are those who think it is wrong, weird or unacceptable. Having an alternative sexuality in some religions can be punishable by death and in other religions it creates severe emotional stress and family tensions and is often hidden.
For a person to come out as gay there are several barriers society has put in place. Peer pressure, job security, family relationships, friendship and emotional distress amongst others. These are things a person must overcome before even thinking about coming out. Coming out can be a very challenging process for people and due to the distress and confusion can often lead to depression, and in some cases self mutilation and eating disorders. There are now always people to help but these barriers should not exist.
Parents, friends and family, the people who should be their biggest supporters can often be the most un accepting. Parents are misinformed and therefore are unable to support their children. They will often accuse their child of being confused or trying to fit a trend. This can be damaging to the self esteem of the child and also cause a lot of tension between the child and parent.
In social groups such as school classes, work and sports, coming out can be very daunting and will almost always lead to abuse. Even if this id meant as a joke it can still be harmful to the person and can help them feel isolated. People need to be more accepting if this problem is to go away.
There are also still some jobs where coming out gay can result in getting fired as unfortunate as this is. The problem is a lot better now and firms who issue dismissal due to sexual orientation can be prosecuted and sued in a court of law.
Emotional distress is one barrier that to an extent will never go away but is worsened by the other barriers. A person may be confused over their sexuality and this can be difficult to deal with. They may be bi-curious or unsure of their sexuality and especially amongst teens during puberty can be confusing and very unsettling.
In the last few years the acceptance of homosexuality has increased and there is some huge communities about. Surveys have indicated at least a 50% rise in gay acceptance since 1970. They have also show younger people are more acceptant and older, unqualified and deeply religious people are most likely to oppose gay rights. These statistics are a good sign for the future but don’t help anybody right now.
In April each year since 1996 there has been a day of silence in the USA. This is a day of action to protest harassment, violence and discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT). Participants remain silent for a day or a portion of the day for all the LGBTs that have to suffer in silence. Unfortunately there is some opposition and an opposing day called the day of truth where participants speak out about gays and in 2007 estimated 7,000 people took part in.
But it is not either of these days that will move us forward. If there is such a day where LGBTs can make an impact it’s a mixture. Why be silent about something you are always silent about? Why not use that day to brave it and come out, speak up and be heard? The most progressive day would have people coming out on that day and speaking out. And supporters speaking out against discrimination. As for the critics of gays, well polls have shown they are either un-educated or religious (mislead).
If young educated, non religious people can accept gays, then why can’t everyone? Those who don’t are often mislead, they express the only opinion they know, they are insensitive, and are simply talking words of other people. Older people were brought up to reject gays, and uneducated people know no other opinion. Religious people are indoctrinated into not accepting gays and without independent thought will probably never change.
It is our job to educate and inform, if you support gays then let people know. There are a huge number of internet communities, petitions and groups you can join to do your part. People against gays have gone from being a majority to a minority, It is time that we get rid of it all together. It is time for us to just accept love as love no matter the circumstance.

Useful Links.

Million For Marriage Petition: http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/millionformarriageac
http://www.bgiok.org.uk/
http://www.emptyclosets.com/
http://www.youth-guard.org/
http://www.dayofsilence.org/

posted by Steven Hoole @ 08:05

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